


south on east street.

by naturagardens



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Other, alsoacoupleofpeopledielol, coroikaaubecausei'mcoollikethat, splatoonau, tagstobeupdatedit'shalloweeny'all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:29:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27304168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naturagardens/pseuds/naturagardens
Summary: 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙠𝙖 𝙖𝙪.high ranking teams in inkopolis are being abducted one by one  , and it's up to team blue to figure out who's behind this all , with the help of agents and a couple of octolings . with tensions high , no ones slow to accuse one another and tear apart their own relationships in the process , making this mission harder than it seems , even with the directions they'd gotten from the beginning .
Relationships: Aloha/Army (Splatoon), alightdustingofbobblephones.asatreat
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

_**disclaimers .** _

  
there will be blood, death and a lot of tears. rated teen for that reason . so i'll probably be including disclaimers at the beginning of a chapter if i know the content will bother readers and whatnot. i don't want to get comments with people getting mad at me for stuff i warned about previously, either _!_

i'd like to say thank you to tea and mask for listening to my endless rambles and asking a lot of questions about things i hadn't even given second thought to . i appreciate it a lot , you guys _!_ you really motivated me to continue this. your mistake. * stomps on your feelings with this au in hand * ( i love you guys , fr fr. )

skull and ponytail are fairly good friends because of tea and i, actually. it's pretty neat. 

some of these characters may come off as ooc and i'm sorry if they do , as i'm still fairly new to coroika _!_ feel free to tell me that. 

also you can find me on tumblr underneath the same url _!_ ( naturagardens ) hmu or somethin'.

other than that, enjoy the fic _!_

_author notice: this fanfiction has been rewritten, due to my dislike for how shitty it was becoming. thank you._

_**by hinawa.** _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tag warning: head injuries.

" we mustn't let them get all of us ! a king never fails, and neither does his successor! " the king shouted as he stood on starfish mainstage, back to back with his brother, prince. they both clasped their dualies, in the position to fire as the kids clothed in black surrounded them in a circle. a little further away, he could only watch as npacer battled with another over the control of her splatterscope, while eging jr . was being held back despite him kicking and screaming. npacer was hit upside the head by a fist, knocking her head to the side and shocking her for a split moment. that was all it took, as he saw the splatterscope being slammed into the side of her head. once, twice, and the third time made her go limp.

a yell caught his attention before he could wait, and hope she was still breathing. someone had lunged for prince, grabbing a hold of his wrists and trying to wrestle one of his dualies away. in a moment of quick thinking, emperor reached out, ready to splat them. but when he felt something hard connect with the back of his head, and he felt the world spin as he stumbled forward, his heart twinged with regret. was this his final defeat? he couldn't even protect his little brother, much less his own friends. 

as everything went black, he could only think of one thing.

he had failed.

**-**

there was silence in the warehouse room, save for the drip of water from the ceiling. emperor took care to avoid it, although the dirty water would've done nothing against the blood already staining his once crisp, white jacket. his brother curled up quietly next to him, seeking comfort in the older inkling. they had been locked in this room for god knows how long, but it had to be at least a few days. his stomach rumbled, and although an octoling ( a blue-ish, green one , mind you. ) had brought them nothing more than scraps of food, he had let prince take his portion instead. 

to become the best, you must suffer the worst. maybe this wasn't a failure after all -- perhaps it was just a test.

in his eyes, anyways.

npacer's eyes watched eging jr. as he paced back and forth. they were the more fidgety members of the monarchs, with npacer messing with a loose thread on her torn jacket, and tapping her toe to the beat of the water droplets that splashed to the floor. emperor always found himself admiring her -- he definitely envied her patience. he was going stir-crazy, staring at the same wall every day. npacer let out a soft groan as she held the side of her head. since they had been here, her headaches had been getting worse and worse. and it didn't help that she had suffered a head injury from that fight against her abductor during training. it was a shame no one had bothered to care for her, aside from slapping a bandage on it and giving her pain pills.

he felt bad, like it was his fault for getting them stuck in this position in the first place. he had run the fight in his head over and over again. how he could've changed the outcome, and how he could've done something to get them out of this. emperor couldn't call for help. no, they had taken his phone, anything on him worth value. even the watch that was considered a priceless family heirloom. 

how would his father feel, seeing him in a state such as this? with prince clinging to his arm, occasionally rubbing his tear-streaked face with the sleeve of his jacket? they both had fallen from grace, and emperor would rather die than be disowned for it.

**-**

" alright skull, what are we doing tomorrow? " pony asked, a giggle leaving her lips as she took a bite of the ice cream she had. the street was empty, and the only light that the two were provided with was coming from the streetlamps on the sidewalk. today they had gone to wahoo world. and skull wasn't exactly the boardwalk park type at all, so she was surprised he had gone with her in the first place. but she did have fun!  
  
and maybe she did coerce him onto a ride or two, so that was definitely a plus!  
  
" ... that's up to you," he responded, his ice-cream long gone by now. he was definitely more laid back than pony was, and she found some sort of balance of that in their friendship. it was nice.   
  
" maybe we could go to the shoal? i know your friend mask goes there all the time! " skull nodded in response before he stopped walking. his hand stretched out towards her as he glanced into the alleyway next to them. his ear twitched. pony fell silent, head tilted to the side.   
  
and then she saw it. the figure was just an outline in the darkness, but she could see the menacing, yellow glow of its eyes. " skull-" before she could even get the sentence out, pony heard the whoosh of air, and the faint grunt that left her friend as his hands flew to his chest. it didn't take her more than a second to realize what had happened.   
  
as he began to fall back, she started forward, ready to catch him, but a wet, slimy hand wrapped around her arm instead. pony let out a shriek, stumbling backward as they yanked her around. she dropped her ice cream, hearing it splatter to the sidewalk, and the cone crunching underneath her footsteps.   
  
she could only watch as more figures emerged from the shadows, all with the same pair of menacing yellow eyes. pony struggled as her captor held onto her arms. as much as the octoling wanted to panic, she had to remember to stay calm in situations like this. panicking wouldn't get you anywhere. without another moment of hesitation, she thrust her elbow back and swung around with a closed fist the moment she felt the attackers' grip loosen on one of her arms.   
  
her fingers met something squishy.  
  
pony could see it now, see them. a salmonid, but .. not. this was a salmonling. this one had legs, hands, an actual face. although it's features still resembled a fish, pony was sure that she knew what species this person may have been from. pony started to let out a shriek, but she yanked her hand away from the creature's thick skull and tried to get them to let go of her other arm. with a surprising amount of force, the salmonling swung her around and slammed her into the brick wall of one of the buildings they were near, causing her to let out a little wheeze as she slumped to the side, trying to regain her breath.  
  
and before she could react, swing back, and try to save one of her best friends, her head was seized, slammed into the brick, once, and then twice, until she fell limp, and the last image stuck in her head was one of skull being dragged away. and she could do nothing.

  
  
**-**

  
mask's apartment was cold. like freezing cold. bobble hat didn't think any squid could ever truly enjoy the lowest settings on an apartment thermometer, but here she was. she adjusted her hat on her head as she waited for the microwave to stop.   
  
she liked spending time with mask, even if he wasn't really in a good mood at any time, year-round. once the microwave stopped, she plucked out the bowl with careful fingers and set it down on a potholder.  
  
as she carried it to mask's room. she couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong.  
  
bobble hat stepped quietly into his room, a place she wasn't meant to go. and she checked the bathroom first. it was hot in there, the kind of hot that was stifling and made you squirm in your own skin. and the smell. it smelled like copper-like blood. her foot hit something hard and plastic, causing it to slide across the tile floor. she opened her eyes to glance down at what she had hit. the gas mask. as she reached to pick it up, she noticed the straps were torn, and then as she leaned up there was the blood on the wall, one that was already staining the white paint. one army wouldn't pay to cover.   
  
" mask .. ? " bobble's voice was soft as she walked out of the bathroom and into the middle of his bedroom. he was gone, separated from the one thing keeping him alive. as the white curtain fluttered in the wind from the window being open, open so quietly that whoever entered, and left with their prize in hand. and that prize was one of her best friends.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tag warning:

army paced around the room. he was frustrated, scared, and maybe even a little bit confused. he had lost two people he practically considered brothers, and then there was aloha. someone who he constantly worried about, more than he worried about himself. the pink inkling had the habit of disappearing for the night or so, especially after a party, usually staying at a friend's house. an unknown friend's house. the thing was, army didn't want to risk it, risk losing someone he cared about, someone he loved.   
  
and now that skull and mask were, gone, as well as emperor, he could do nothing but stress more. he didn't know if aloha could tell, through the long, secure hugs that he was given the moment he stepped through the door, complete with the hesitance to pull away, and at least let him inside to close the door.  
  
army needed to do something.   
  
the inkling tugged frustratedly at his beret, before pulling it off, and catching sight of himself in his bedroom mirror. his cheeks were flushed, bags underneath his eyes growing from the lack of sleep from the past few days. his coat was wrinkled. after all, he hadn't ironed it in about three days. and his stomach rumbled with hunger. he had forgotten to eat this morning.   
  
it was then that he decided, he definitely needed to do something. make some attempt to get his best friends back. and it all started at the one place that might hold the most information.   
  
shellendorf. not only was it a museum, but it was a series of buildings that took up a good section of inkopolis, much like the slums, and the celebrity littered areas. and he needed to go to the one that involved the public records, anything that could give him clues as to where they went. and if he needed to resort to higher methods ...  
  
his gaze drifted to his cellphone, which sat on the desk, plugged into the charger. army had " connections. " although he wasn't sure he was exactly ready to contact them yet

  
  
**-**

  
  
emperor didn't expect the door to suddenly open, while they were all sleeping the best they could, trying to avoid the puddles of water from the leak of the pipe on the ceiling. the inkling swore he could feel a crick growing in his neck, one that made it uncomfortable to lean off to the side, resting his head on top of his brothers, who hadn't let go of him since they had gotten there. he was really growing more thankful for the silk sheets and warm blankets he had at home.  
  
emperor didn't really mind prince hanging onto him. they were brothers after all, and he cared for him dearly, though it was yet another thing he wouldn't be found saying out loud. but when the octarian guard stepped inside, reached down and grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him to his feet quite roughly, he panicked. prince clutched his arm tighter, feet skidding on the wet floor beneath them. the guard gave a sharp tug, and prince was forced to let go as he fell to the ground, and let out a cry.  
  
" where are you taking me ? " emperor demanded as he was shoved out of the room, and heard the door slam shut behind him, muffling prince's cries and screams for him. he was given no answer as the guard grabbed his forearm, clutching it tightly. he noticed something different from the octoling that was feeding him everyday. this octoling looked .. normal. no blue, green skin. no ruined scleras and garbled voice. maybe ..  
  
he yanked away, giving the guard a glare. " i would like to kn- " before he even got the sentence out, the butt of one of the dualies the guard carried slammed into his head, causing him to see stars.   
  
" keep quiet. the king'll answer your questions. i won't. " the guard stated harshly, his brows furrowing as he grabbed hold of emperor once again, and didn't let go. they stepped down the hallway, towards a set of large, wooden double doors. when they reached them, the octoling boy gave emperor a spiteful look. " you're on your own. "  
  
with that, he was shoved inside. emperor nearly fell on his knees, but he caught his balance and looked around the room. he was in a throne room. it reminded him of ... oh ! this was octavio's throne room. he had seen pictures of it in the books his mother had given him as a child, telling him stories of the daring captain cuttlefish and how he held off the octarian forces to give him the world he had today.  
  
he hadn't realized how the octarians were basically cheated.   
  
the room had fancy, curtains draping from the wall, and cracked black tile floors with swirling white design. it was foggy, nowhere near the clean, pristine look it had had in the books. he stepped further into the room. if the advisors were on the side ( in which there were none. the tables sat empty, which .. was odd. normally advisors sat off to the side, and they ate. or maybe emperor was wrong. ) then that meant that the king would be in the center. he looked towards the throne, with it's big pillars that held banners decorated with the octarian language, and the one that sat across the middle, labeling it as the cephalo's throne.   
  
and then emperor caught sight of the figure on the throne. and was taken aback. this " king " certainly did not look like one. one gold fin was flopped over like a mohawk, and his skin was slimy, with a gold tint, showing off scales and fins. his eyes were a milky white, though emperor could feel his stare from across the room. he had traded the traditional headpiece for a dented, silver crown. and the white cloth that he had draped across his body was torn.   
  
he was smiling at the inkling, his smile wide and full of sharp teeth. the king had himself draped across the throne, legs dangling over the arm.   
  
" oh good! you're here. " the words that left this .. things, lips surprised emperor. he was speaking inklish. " i'm sure we should make proper introductions. but ! oh, i already know you. " he pointed one long, webbed finger in emperor's direction. " you're that king boy. i'm glad you're still alive. i do love live inklings, they're so much more interesting! " a long series of raspy giggles left him as he licked his lips, and earned giggles from the other salmonids surrounding the area near his throne, which he had only just noticed now. " i am alpheus. " he sounded bored with himself. "first salmonid king of the octarians, soon to be the entire world! "  
  
wait a minute. " _salmonid?_ you look .. well .. " emperor felt himself shrink underneath the slit gaze of the .. creature.   
  
" evolution is a funny thing, isn't it? " alpheus responded, picking himself up out of the throne. emperor could swear he had seen oil soaking into the seat's plush interior. it made him cringe inwardly, just a little bit. the inkling adjusted the collar of his jacket, biting his lip as he listened to alpheus speak. " anywho! i have a goal in mind. one i think you could help me with. "alpheus stated, his mohawk fin flopping around as he stepped down the small set of stairs to where emperor stood.  
  
" make my dreams come true. i want to become a king, to ruin the lives of those who have oppressed the octarians, but my kind, too. "  
  
emperor really didn't know how to answer that. why would alpheus be asking an inkling this sort of thing? wouldn't it make more sense to ask octavio or .. literally anyone but him? even then, emperor wasn't well-versed on what it took to actually be a ruler at all, he was sure that he'd be tossed out not too long after alpheus found that out.   
  
" no, no, i'm right! i always am. even my guards say i'm right. " that set off an alarm in emperor's head, but he didn't say anything about it. he felt himself nod, and the words clawing it's way up his throat.   
  
" of course. when do we start? "

  
  
**-**

  
emperor stepped into the room after slipping on a cloth facemask given to him by one of the guards. he hadn't ever expected that he'd be taken down to where anyone else was held. it looked like a hospital down here, if he was being honest. his eyes roamed amongst the room before they landed on someone slumped over in the corner, his breathing labored and a rattle present in his chest.  
  
he looked up, and they locked eyes.  
  
" you. "   
  
emperor was surprised at the malice in his voice, but then he realized that perhaps it was for a good reason. the guard had practically announced his arrival, as the king's advisor. he hated that title. to himself, emperor would always be the king.   
  
" yes. me. " his voice was low as he stepped forward. " they've got you stuck in here? alone, and without your team? "  
  
" i'm sick. "  
  
mask's short responses were nothing out of the ordinary, but he looked as if he were ready to kill emperor right then and there. the inkling really didn't blame him. if there hadn't been guards around, he would've explained everything, to try and show that he's doing this for his own safety and that he doesn't want to betray his own home, his own friends, and family. then a lightbulb went off in his head.  
  
" oh, i know. but, " he stopped speaking for a split second, thinking over his options. he was really just supposed to be checking up on him, and seeing how mask's condition was, but .. " the king needs a general. " mask raised an eyebrow.  
  
" you, need a - "  
  
" no. the king. i am but his advisor. " emperor stated, folding his hands behind his back. " and he needs a general. he's waging war on inkopolis; the inkling species as a whole. " he leaned down, his voice low. " this could be your chance to escape. to get better. " he offered. mask's sneer was the only answer he needed.  
  
" you're going to betray your own home, all of the teams and everything? for what? to get your chance at seeing what handling royal matters is really like? " mask hissed, his voice rising with every word. " fuck you. " he snapped before he drew back, curling up into his little corner of the room. emperor felt rage wash over him for a moment, before it washed away.  
  
so he simply smiled. " then i guess i can always turn to full moon .. or one of your other teammates. they'd be loyal enough. "  
  
" they'd never work with you. they work with me and only- "  
  
emperor silenced the cyan inkling with a dismissive wave of his hand as he stepped towards the door. " they'd turn if i told them something different, now wouldn't they? " 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tag warning: slight mention of blood.

vintage could count on one hand all of the times he had seen his own twin cry. for omega, it was rare to get any reaction out of the inkling. but now, here she was, tears streaking down her face. she had burst into sobs only seconds ago, ones that were loud and shook her thin frame. the rest of the team looked at one another before vintage scooted over to wrap an arm around her.  
  
" it's gonna be alright, meg.. " he murmured softly to her, trying to comfort omega the best she could. he wasn't surprised when she didn't shove him off, nudge his shoulder, and tell him not to use that nickname, the one he had given her once they were old enough to wear clothing and she had picked out the shirt.   
  
" but what if it won't, vinny? " he also wasn't surprised when she called him that. " what if it won't? what if we're stuck here forever- what if we die?!" her voice rose with every word to the point where she was yelling, and vintage had to hurry to quiet her. double had learned what happened if you made too much noise -- he still had the bruises to prove it.  
  
but vintage was too late. the door slammed open as the guard stepped in, her eyes sweeping around the room, narrow face holding a snarl. " who was makin' all that noise? didn't one of you learn your lesson last time? "  
  
vintage felt as if his limbs were moving on their own, as he twisted around to face the guard, and spoke softly. " it was me. " with no hesitance, the guard had grabbed him by the arm and was already yanking him out of the room. he was shoved down the hall towards another guard who was waiting for him. their timeliness was kind of creepy. unnerving, maybe? who knows. but vintage didn't exactly like it.

**_**

rider let out a sigh as he knocked on the bedroom door again. " c'mon, agent. we don't have much time to waste if we want to find them. " them, as in the teams that had gone missing in the past few weeks. x-blood was one of the newest, the red-eyed inklings being snatched up from their training at the arowana mall, splatlings and dualies and slosher all left behind, seemingly thrown aside without a care in the world.   
  
rider had gone with army to look at the scene, and he knew it was a silent agreement between the two of them that the x-blood definitely wouldn't treat their weapons in fashion like that. but that's when it got .. maybe a little weird. there were footsteps in some of the planters near the water, and the track prints were far too big to be any inklings. army had assumed that they'd belonged to an octolings. rider really couldn't disagree. and then, once they were at one of the small tables in the far corner of inkopolis square, army showed him the case files, glancing around every now and then in case anyone was watching.   
  
because army shouldn't have done that. when rider asked him about it, army just gave rider a wink and stated, " it pays to know the government, honestly. " he didn't question it after that.  
  
the footprints were found at the scene of skull's kidnapping as well, and so was pony. the friendly octoling girl had had her head smashed into the brick, blood trailing down to the concrete where she lie in a pool of it. of course, she had survived, as she was only knocked out rather than killed, but .. if she had been with skull when they were attacked, then why didn't they take pony, too? and bobble hat, who was downstairs in mask's small loft apartment, which rider found fitting for someone such as mask himself, he'd be secluded like that, but. it seemed as if they were resorting to taking only high-level teams, ones who were experts at what they did.   
  
after consulting cap'n about it, they had finally put a mission in place to at least try and find those who had been kidnapped. but instead of getting nana or hachi to help, he had in fact turned to pony. while she was still recovering sure, she had agreed to go. her will to find skull was bigger than actually staying and home and healing fully before doing anything too brash.  
  
from what he knew about her, pony was mostly involved in navigation-related matters when it came to her squad. she knew the streets of the underground like the back of her own hand. the moment she opened her door, he was dragged out of his thoughts. pony had a bunch of bandaging on the right side of her head, and rider could the tiny curl of a tentacle that was just starting to grow back, peeking out from underneath the grizzco hat she wore.   
  
" hi . " was her statement as she shut the door behind her. " i had to fix my head. " pony stated, pointing at the new bandaging she had put around the side of her head. rider simply nodded, before he brought up the topic at hand.  
  
" we need to get going. marina gave me the coordinates for the kettle we need to find. " rider stated. pony tilted her head.  
  
" how do you .. know where they are? " pony asked. " there was not much evidence, right? " she continued, nodding her head forward a little bit. rider shrugged; he didn't exactly _know._ but he assumed that since a few of the missing were agents themselves, they probably were being tracked, or something like that. he did also think that maybe it was just a theory, that they were underground because of the footprints, the ones that didn't match up to any inklings because they were far too big.  
  
" ... i don't. "  
  
she seemed to take that answer just fine, and walked past him down the hallway. " to the roads we shall go! " she stated confidently, not waiting for rider to catch up.  
  
and the car ride was long, silent, and maybe even a little bit awkward. rider was driving through parts of inkopolis pony had never even seen, but she found it so .. interesting. and when they turned into a street called motegi drive, her brows furrowed slowly at the lack of cars on the street.   
  
" where are all of the- "  
  
rider held out a hand, quieting the octoling. his ears twitched, and he saw hers do the same. slowly, she sat up and peered through the windshield. without waiting for her to sit back, rider swung onto a side road as two cars came speeding by.  
  
" street racing. i forgot," he muttered to himself, glancing over at pony to make sure she was okay. he needed somewhere to park, and in a dingy old '52 he couldn't just park on the side of the street. he'd stand out. and while he would've preferred to take his motorcycle, he decided against it. he didn't want it to get stolen or anything, after all, that was his baby.  
  
he finally found an alleyway, and swung into it with ease. " careful on the doors when you get out. " he instructed as he shut off the car, and slid out, careful to not scratch the door against the brick wall. rider adjusted his jacket as he looked around. he could hear voices coming from somewhere, and if anything he hoped he and pony could slip by them unnoticed.   
  
" lead the way. " pony stated, stepping up next to him, looking a bit nervous. " you know where to go. " she gestured for him to go, tucking her hands into the sleeves of her shirt. he nodded and began to walk, slowly at first, just in case anyone was lurking in the alleyway. he was on guard; the inklings and octolings on motegi drive weren't exactly the friendliest to strangers around here.  
  
as they began to walk down the alleyway, the voices began to grow louder. it sounded like cheering, and rider swore he could hear some off the hook song streaming from a radio nearby. and then they reached one of the exits to the alleyway. rider held his hand out to prevent pony from moving forward as he peered around the corner.  
  
cars were lined up in a circle, with inklings and octolings laughing and talking amongst one another, and admiring each other's cars. his eyes swept around the scene before they locked with someone else's. quickly, he pulled away and rushed past pony.  
  
" we've been seen- " he stated in a panicky tone, grabbing her wrist and trying to drag her back to the car. they could just take a longer route from a different alleyway or someth-  
  
" rider, c'mon! the party's just started, man! " his voice echoed around the alleyway, able to be heard over the rest of the voices at the gathering they may or may not have just crashed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is dedicated to my friend mask. sorry about the death though. and happy birthday !  
> anyways.  
> warnings for character death.   
> this is kind of. technically a filler so i can finally get to some bigger events.

pony greeted aloha with a little grin, and a wave. she glanced at rider, who didn't seem too eager to stop and say hello. aloha was a friendly squid, and if she could remember correctly he also happened to be one of the captains that was currently being hunted down for whatever reason. she wondered what the rest of his team would think about that. 

" you race? " rider asked, sticking his hands in to the pockets of his leather jacket. come to think of it, pony hadn't ever seen him without it.

" nah, i'm just here for the party! " aloha responded with a grin. " the people here, i've known them since i was- "

" you do know you're putting yourself in danger, right? "

that caused him to falter, just a little bit. aloha cleared his throat. " do you .. race? " before anyone could respond, however, someone slapped their hands down on pony's shoulders, causing her to jump, and grab ahold of their wrist in some attempt to pull them forward. but they did not budge. 

" sorry! " their voice was familiar, and relief washed over her for a split second, before it was replaced by anger. she could hear rider groan, and honesly, pony felt the same. afro wasn't even supposed to be here, he was supposed to be back at the apartment with hachi and nana. 

" what are you doing? " she asked, her glare cutting through him like the shot of a charger through an unsuspecting octoling.

" following you! i climbed into the trunk, of course. i .. want to help. " afro stated. he looked around. " am i .. interrupting something? " pony glanced at rider, and then aloha. pony knew afro would be of some help, but she couldn't shake the idea that it would be best if he just went home.

**_**

  
they all stared at one another, and the silence, save for the ambient noise of other partygoers, was so thick you could cut through it with one shot of an e-liter. afro seemed to realize how serious this was -- pony could see it in his face, the way he straightened up from the slouch he normally had. aloha started to speak, to answer afro's question, but a gunshot, and then a scream, cut him off. their heads all swiveled towards the source, where inklings and octolings were scattering in different directions, pushing past the four as the sought safety amongst the endless alleyways and apartments of motegi drive.

aloha noticed who happened to be the chaos creator, a tall, scaly creature with a broad face and narrowed eyes that were staring straight into his soul. footsteps made him turn around, and he could see that the other three, afro, pony, and rider, were all running further into the alleyway.

so he followed them.

he never had any problem running in the first place -- when an " experiment " went wrong, and something caught on fire, and you knew you couldn't afford to have your turf card marked for the third time, running from the authorities was in fact the best option.

as he caught up to the others, his mind was in a haze. why was this happening, and happening to him? there were plenty of other people to attack and take for whatever gain the bad guys had in mind.

aloha slammed into pony, nearly knocking the taller girl over. he hadn't noticed that they had stopped, and were look around.

"there are so many kettles .. " he stated quietly, out of breath, his hearts pounding in his chest.

" do we pick one and. and. roll with it? " pony asked rider. before he could answer, a low, guttural growl sent shivers down their spines. aloha glanced over his shoulder and turned to come face to face with the creature from before.

" salmonling. " pony murmured, dropping into a fighting stance. " they are here for you. "

" what? " aloha asked, stumbling backward just as the salmonling swiped at him, claws grazing at his skin. everything seemed to click then; the weird footprints army had rambled about, his friends going missing. 

" c'mon. we need to get you out here of here. " rider instructed.

" we will hold them off. " pony stated reassuringly. 

aloha glanced around, getting affirmative nods from both pony and afro. something told him it was the right choice. as he picked himself up to his feet, he turned, and slipped down the right alley, after rider, coming to a dead-end and a kettle that he wasn't quite sure was supposed to be there. he could see a figure moving in the shadow atop the wall, and he looked down at the kettle with a gulp. rider huffed. even he knew that this was a fight he wouldn't win. aloha watched as he slipped through the grate.

and without another moment of hesitation, he squidformed and slipped into the kettle after him.

it was wet and dark, and the moment he hit the water he shifted back, in some weak attempt to gain his footing. he tumbled down the shaft, and fell out the end and onto the ground with a loud groan. he rolled over onto his back, getting his phone out of his pocket and turning it over in his hand.

the water in the grate must've gotten to it because it wouldn't even turn on. he couldn't even call army, to let him know he was stuck in this place. maybe he should've listened. he could hear rider grumbling to himself about something a little ways away, but aloha couldn't bring himself to get up.

  
**-**

  
now, since pony had come to the surface, she had realized one thing. there were no adults overseeing your progress in anything, there were no adults telling you how to act, and move, and defend yourself, telling you when to move through a little earpiece that was lodged in your ear the moment you could control your form. this realization was making its way back into her mind as she faced the salmonlings that had cornered the two of them in the alleyway. it was four on two. unfair, and uneven.

two of them had harpoons clutched in slimy hands, while the others were advancing slowly towards them. pony felt like she should've run instead. when one of the salmons charged, pony dove out of the way, before dropping into a fighting stance and facing him. they traded blows for a few seconds, with the sounds of afro dealing with his own salmonling accompanying theirs, before the whirring of machinery caught her attention. 

_t-ching!_

she barely had time to react as the harpoon shot off. and impaled afro directly in the chest. she could hear him gasp, as she avoided a swinging fist to catch the octoling before he fell to the ground. his blood stained her hands. another harpoon flew past her cheek, scratching it, and then impaling itself into the concrete. 

" pony .. go ." his tone was solemn as he spoke. another harpoon forced her to move back. she felt tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked at him. she could see the life leaving her friend's eyes as she began to walk faster, away from him. she didn't want to leave him like this. he didn't deserve to die alone. his gentle smile made her turn away.


	6. Chapter 6

bobble hat stood in front of the cuttlefish cabin, alongside the rest of her team. one hand was in her hoodie pocket, and the other was holding onto headphones, her fingers laced with the other girls. they had been called here out of emergency -- the mission to get to aloha before the salmonids could, had gone wrong. pony and rider had been forced offline the moment they entered underground. one could only assume that whatever octolings that were left still had someone with the ability to hack into one's earpiece.

needless to say, bobble was a bit worried. if two of the coolest agents she had ever known couldn't be found, what would happen to them? she squeezed headphone's hand subconsciously, earning a gentle one in return. she wasn't really paying attention to what callie was saying, rather her eyes were on the school cardigans, who were digging through a couple of boxes that were set on the porch. cuttlefish was gone on another vacation somewhere, so the squid sisters were left in charge.

her eyes widened a little when they pulled out a few bright, fluorescent items. she nodded her head in their direction, but to her distress, no one on her team was paying attention to her. bobble hat had tried to listen, yes! but it was too difficult when there was so much else to hear and see. well .. not really see, since her eyesight was poor and fading fast. everything was so dim and blurry now, to the point where she had to start carrying a cane just to see anything when she wasn't in a match. however, the upside of that was that she was quickly learning how to protect herself in turf and that mostly required her hearing. the world was so much noisier than she could remember, but maybe it was just her.

" phones ... " bobble whined quietly, pointing in the direction of the cardigans. " look..! they've got something. " she still had no luck in catching her girlfriend's attention. quietly, she turned her ears towards callie again, trying to listen to what she was saying for once in the twenty minutes. 

" ... our main problem that comes with trying to find the agents we lost in the underground is actually being able to locate them. " she explained, swinging her legs back and forth as she sat on the porch of the cabin, adjusting the sleeves of her pink cardigan. " since their earpieces were hacked, that gave access to their trackers as well. they've gone dark, and marina has been locked out of access to them. " callie continued, taking a second to peer over her shoulder into the cabin, whose doors were open and inside you could see marina sitting on a beanbag, a drink by her side and her computer in her lap. she was so lost in whatever she was doing that she didn't notice the short silence. " she can't turn the trackers back on, no matter how many times she's  _ tried, _ so that's where you guys come in. "

bobble shimmied around excitedly, looking back at the clothes the school cardigans were holding in their hands. " since you've finally gotten your agent outfits made, we can finally send you in. " callie stated, gesturing to the group of inklings next to her. " with the help of these lovely ladies, we've managed to get your agent gear done in time. " 

-

emperor had run into a bit of a problem. alpheus had given him the task of finding others to help lead the army alpheus was building, the army that was supposed to swarm inkopolis and help the salmonids and octolings take back land that was rightfully theirs. or so they said. he adjusted the black coat he'd been given to replace the torn, white eminence jacket he had worn since he was fourteen. with the jacket being too big, it reminded him of when his old jacket had been too big when he'd first gotten it, and how he'd grown into it.

he knew he wouldn't be growing into this one. it smelled of fish, and no matter how many gold letters had been delicately stitched into the silky black fabric, it wouldn't ever replace the iconic white one. 

he was dragged from his thoughts as he ventured down the hallway, taking the steps into the dungeon area. it hadn't been used in the years after the great turf war, however it seems that alpheus was more than happy to use the rooms that were down here. emperor stepped around a puddle of water, created by the leaky pipe in the ceiling. they never seemed to do anything about fixing anything that was broken, save for the salvaged technology in the science lab.

in one of the long days where alpheus would ramble on and on to emperor about his plans in taking over the world and how he overtook the octarians, which wasn't really hard when your leader was stuck in a snowglobe and your advisors were stuck scrambling to fill in for royal matters, he explained that the bottom of the ocean, he had found so many interesting things.

" now, that old big statue that your kind destroyed? it sits just slumped far enough into the ocean that the salmonids can get inside and take the parts of scrap metal for their own machines. but, i wanted to do more. " he had curled up in the throne, legs underneath him as he rested his head on one webby palm, glancing down at the inkling who sat on the pillow on the floor beside him. emperor was kind of chained to the leg, only let loose when he had to attend to duties throughout the palace. 

part of it was because of how many times he had attempted to escape, and the other part mostly had to do with the hostility towards him as an inkling. he didn't exactly know what had gone down at the nils statue, either, but he pretended to know by simply nodding his head. alpheus didn't really like emperor to talk anyway.

" we used plenty of the old build to fuel our bonfires for our celebrations during low tides, at the cabins where grizz couldn't reach. " a giggle left his lips as he spoke, a shrill contemptuous sound.

the events that alpheus spoke of that took place during the bonfires made emperor feel sick to his stomach. he chose to say nothing about them.

" well, then i discovered a bunch of this old tech. a bunch of it was smashed to pieces when everything was crashing into the sea. lucky, i was able to fish - get it? - a couple of smaller gadgets from this old work table in what probably used to be some sorta laboratory for those rich uptown hicks who actually need a spot to put their stuff because you can't share. " he snipped. emperor didn't bother telling him that what was inside the statue was not, in fact, an inkling. " anywho! i started experimenting on it myself for a hot second. before i - " he droned on and on like this. emperor knew it wouldn't be long before the salmonling fell asleep, head propped lazily against the arm of the once shiny throne.

emperor realized he had stopped in the middle of the hallway, by the sliding door that led to the cell that team purple was being held in. after a split second of wondering what he had been doing there, a lightbulb went off.

skull had said no the first time he'd asked, but what about aviators? he pushed open the door and stepped inside, folding his hands behind his back. he glanced down at the squids who sat on the floor, his brows furrowing. 

" aviators. " his voice was quiet, but it was enough to make him look up. emperor had witnessed the day that team purple was dragged here. upon the attempt of their items being confiscated, aviators fought tooth and nail for his shades. and in the end, he'd been able to keep them. emperor was curious about what the squid may have been hiding behind those lenses, but he pushed the urge to ask away. " come with me. "

" but, my team? " his response was more of a question. the king brushed it off, stepping backwards. aviators didn't move from his spot, and skull was giving emperor a dangerous look.

" if you don't comply, i'll have to get the guards. " he said slowly, bracing himself for any sort of altercation. however, to his surprise aviators pulled himself to his feet. he gave skull a guilty look, but simply signed " i love you. " to him before stepping out with emperor.

**-**

" so why'd you bring us here? " aviators asked through a mouthful of buttered roll, adjusting his glasses as he presumably glanced up at the yellow inkling in front of him.

" i have a plan. " emperor stated, watching full moon and aviators eat. he had gotten full moon to join him shortly after he plucked aviators from his holding cell. salmonids were surprisingly good cooks, especially since the species itself had a bit of a life plan revolving around food and .. you guessed it, smoked salmon. they always had food here, emperor had been led through the kitchen and had seen enough to know that most of the octarians taxes were spent on help, more specifically chefs. " i want to get us out of here. all of us. but .. we can't do that unless we sneak out. "

" and l.. leave the salmonids r..running the p..place ? " full moon asked, the first words she'd spoken since she'd gotten here. she adjusted her wide, round glasses and gave him a doubtful look. she was tiny compared to aviators who sat next to her, though it may have been because she was curled up into the chair, food clutched in pale hands, knees drawn to her chest. emperor felt bad about lying to her about mask's current condition.

but it was the only way she was willing to help.

" for a little bit longer, yes. but once i'm able to get back to the agency b- " he was cut off by the door slamming open, thudding against the wall. emperor paled, looking at the two in front of him. without a moment of hesitance, full moon cleared her throat. 

" y..you'll , b..be- " she paused, taking a breath. " able to .. m...modify the- "

" the weapons? yes. " he nodded, grateful for her quick action. footsteps sounded from behind him until they were next to emperor. he glanced to the side, taking notice of the scientist. a small octoling who was named ahato. she was holding a pair of shades in her hands, though they had little, pixelated lines of orange and teal streaking across the side and to the front. she was one of the sanitized octolings, skin a teal color and her tentacles a gradient array of colors, tips the same shade of pink that any octoling was born with.

her voice was garbled, and had an echo-y sound to it, so she made sure to speak slowly just in case anyone had trouble understanding her. however, emperor sighed in relief when he saw it was just ahato. they had been introduced shortly after alpheus had asked ( read: forced ) him to become his advisor. luckily, she wanted to get out of there as much as he did. ahato used to be a dj, though she had a lot of knowledge in science-based things, too.

that knowledge was the only thing keeping her alive.

" he had me make these. " ahato murmured, holding them out. " they're like the hypnoshades, but worse. they electrocute, " she stated, glancing up at the taller inkling for a fraction of a second while she spoke. " and he wants to use them as a form of torture. if anyone is even suspected of trying to rebel, he'll put them on and flip the switch and- " she folded the shades and stuck them into the lab coat she wore over a tattered black shirt and ripped jeans. she tilted her baseball cap upwards a little bit and nodded. " you know what happens. "

he did, and it didn't make him feel too good.

" what about the .. thing? " he asked, making sure his voice was low enough to only be heard by the four of them. the " thing " was a top-secret project that even alpheus didn't know about. which meant ahato was working dangerously, and if she was caught it was all over. it supposedly was something powerful enough to render thousands immobile, and was meant to buy everyone enough time to get out and back to the surface. ahato was especially eager to work on it, because she had callie waiting for her back home.


End file.
